


Perspectives

by PandoraCleo



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Complete, F/M, alternate perspective on the movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2020-10-24 23:48:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20714576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PandoraCleo/pseuds/PandoraCleo
Summary: Yon Rogg's take on the events of the movie.





	1. First contact

**Author's Note:**

> I love fictions which give an insight into the thoughts of character who weren't the narrator of the original story. Yon Rogg is such an important part of the movie yet has very little screen time and spends most of the movie stuck on a ship waiting to get to Vers. I thought we could do with his perspective on things.

When the comm link lit up indicating an incoming transmission, Yon-Rogg was barely holding it together. He had lost Vers and refused to leave the space around Torfa to return to Hala, despite being protocol. His team, whilst supportive were also silently questioning his decision. He had hoped they would assume he would do the same for each of them in this position, he thought he would. His team were important to him, especially Vers, as she was just as important to the SI.

It had been hours after the Skrull attack, with no contact and no emergency beacon from Vers. The Skrulls had to have her, her comms’ signal was no longer on Torfa, nor in the immediate vicinity.

If they had her, would they kill her? Torture her for information on the Empire? She was a trained Starforce warrior, she would not give into torture easily. All the necessary access codes were written into her subconscious so simming her would not provide access to her suit or the systems it could connect to. So what use could she be? What would they do when they realised she would be of no use to them? His blood ran cold with the idea.

He shouldn't have continued the mission after comms with Minn-Erva were lost. He shouldnt have caved at the look of disappointment on her face when he had said “No” to her going by herself. He shouldn't have let her go into the temple alone, he shouldn't have let her out of his sight. The situation was too volatile, hard to control and so he'd lost her, he lost... No! He hadn't lost her, they would locate her soon enough. If he didn't, the SI would have his head, and if It didn't, he wasn’t sure what he’d do...

The comm link flared to life, but no clear image came through.  
"Vers?"  
His heart stopped for a moment, he held his breath and prayed to the old gods it was her.

"Vers?" Her image came through but distorted. "Verify?! CTC39"

His eyes roamed over what he could see of her, she didn’t look injured. Thank the old gods!

“GRX1600; and I’m fine, thanks for asking! Is everyone alright? What happened?”

Relief washed through him as he lowered his head and smiled to himself. She was fine and free of the Skrulls. He would find her and bring her home. Clearly the incident had not robbed her of her appalling sense of humour either. He noted her order of questions. Her concern for the team coming first. It warmed him of her concern and care for her fellow warriors.  
“Skrull ambush. I thought we’d lost you! Did you find So-Lar?"

Now he knew she was safe he needed to clarify the state of the mission. Perhaps it could be salvaged and the information So-Lar held had not fallen into the hands of the Skrulls.

“... even knew his codes"

They had his codes? but "That’s impossible, they were buried in his unconscious." Skrull simming could not access them, only the SI. It is why the codes worked that way. Could So-Lar have betrayed them?

"They messed with my mind! The machine that they used..." Concern for Vers filled him again. They had attempted to mess with her mind. She was already concerned with her lack of memories, what had the Skrulls done? Had they hurt her? Found her memories or worse had they reminded her of the nothingness that was her past. He was angry for her, angry for their violation of her. He needed to get to her, Now!

"Where are you?”

"I’m on C-53" 

C-53?! Das't! This was bad, if the Skrulls had taken her back to C-53, they could only be after one thing. They knew who she was, who she used to be. This was dangerous. He had to get to her before she was lost further.

“The Skrulls are looking for someone named Lawson”

Whilst he didn’t recognise the name he had an idea of who she meant. She meant Mar-Vel. The Skrulls were looking for the traitor they would never find. He feigned ignorance “Who?”

Vers voice quietened “Shes who I see…”

See? See where? How?

“She's what?” He could hear the hurt in her voice, the emotions surfacing under the confusing circumstances. His heart broke a little for her.

“Vers?” did she mean the SI? She always asked him about his encounters but they were sacred. He had wondered who she would see, if anyone, with no memories for reference who could her subconscious choose? He liked to think maybe it was him. But if it was the traitor who the SI took form, then her memories were still in her subconscious and the face of a stranger every time she communed with the SI would explain her questions and her hesitation to repeat the experience every time. But he had to clarify. Did she remember the traitor? This Lawson? Or was there another whom was working with Mar-Vel? 

Unsure of how to proceed without losing hold of the situation, he looked around to see how intently the team were listening. The conversation had their intention, he had to continue the charade of ignorance.   
“Vers? What?”

“She’s a scientist …they think she’s cracked the code on lightspeed tech. I have to get to her before they do or else they’ll be able to invade new galaxies.”

Damnit! It was Mar-Vel they were looking for and this put Vers directly on the path of her past. There was no more engine, she was all that remained, but how long before the Skrulls determined this was the case and realised what they had let slip through their fingers? She could walk right into their hands without even realising what she was doing. She wanted to stop the Skrulls, but she was what they were after. He began to panic again, his frustration mounting. This was supposed to have been an extraction mission of a compromised operative and was now becoming far more complex. He needed her out the line of danger, to disengage from this pursuit and wait for him.

“No, you’ve been caught once already. How long to C53?"

“The nearest jump point is 22 hours away.” Too long!

“Hold your position and keep your comms online so we can contact you.”

He heard her begin to argue, she always questioned his orders when she saw a bigger chance to do the honourable thing. Stopping the Skrulls was what he’d trained her for, of course she would not take a “no” for an answer. He prepared to argue back but the projection began to flicker and cut out.

“Vers?”  
“Vers?”  
“Vers?!” He hit the console in frustration. He hoped she would listen.

Korath started to question her. 

“She’s stronger than you think” he bit back to Korath. But who was he trying to convince? Him or his team.

She was strong, he had faith in her, in his training of her, and C-53 was a large and non-densely populated planet. There was a chance she could be on the planet and yet nowhere near her old life, even if she was wanting to look for it. If he could just get her to stay put and keep out of trouble for once he might be able to salvage the situation. But first he needed to get to her.


	2. The Wait

With a 22 hour wait before they were close to the jump point, Yon-Rogg had ordered his team to rest whilst he held the Con. Holding a silent vigil while he waited for her, waited to find her. The transmission from her beacon flashed blue on the screen, she was still on C-53. It was currently the only thing connecting him to her, tethering them to each other.

He’d hoped she’d kept out of trouble but knowing her, that hope was foolishly misplaced. At best he could hope she'd managed to neutralize whatever remained of the Skrull threat before she found any further reference to the traitor and her plans. He had faith that she had remained uncompromised. The SI had said what little remained of her memories were fragmented. Any casual encounters with other Terrans or her old life shouldn't create too much damage and should be able to be reversed by the Supremor if required. Another small layer of lies and distractions to correct any mistakes, it was necessary to keep the Terran dead and let Vers thrive in her place.

If she had continued to pursue her lead on the drive, what could she really find? Mar-Vel was dead, the drive destroyed and its energy walking around in the form of a warrior. The Terrans would have no knowledge of this, no records, just a crash site with debris and 2 missing pilots easily assumed dead on impact. 

Still, his heart felt heavy.

In the unlikely event enough memories jostled free in Vers’ mind,. It was decided at the beginning that her past and identity would be "classified", she would be considered a spy in her previous life, with any memories she might have, being the details of classified missions or intel gathering. Events which could be referenced to anonymous reports, with the necessary details being explained away by the SI as mission relevant and the rest as inconsequential, necessary for the assignment but not intrinsic to her as a Kree. This gave Yon the room needed to handle the situation as best he could in the moment and have it credibly corrected by the Supremor afterwards. An old story he had yet needed to employ. Her memories had only returned in the form of her dreams, her memories of the crash and as per the SI’s conditioning, she remembered the Skrulls as the culprits.

The less details she had the better. His standing orders were to misdirect and then have her commune with SI. He hoped that whatever trouble she had managed to find, that he would not need to be deceitful, that this would resolve itself and she'd be back by his side, safe on the Helion and with the team soon.  
But her search for Lawson, Mar-Vel, would put her directly in the path of her old life, and he knew he would need to make corrections. Lie to her, for the greater good. Her greater good, until the Supremor could intervene.

He had yet to commune with the SI himself. Instead he had filed a mission report remotely. He knew he was avoiding the inevitable. If he communed directly with the SI he would be commanded to return to Hala and he would have to obey. But without a direct order he could continue the mission until Vers returned. He hadn’t broken protocol but was definitely bending the rules. Vers would be proud. He smiled at the thought. 

The comm link lit up again with Vers. She seemed rattled. What had happened? His stomach dropped and he wanted to comfort her. He hated seeing her distressed, he always wanted to soothe her pain but his position as her commander meant he was limited in how he could express that. He trained with her to chase away her nightmares, held her firmly by the shoulders and gave friendly squeezes she seemed to find comforting when he really had wanted to hold her closer, hug her.

“Vers? Is everything alright?” he hoped she was simply updating him that she had made no progress.

“I know Lawson was Kree. She was here on C-53 and died in a plane crash.” No such luck on the lack of progress.

“Do you know anything about this?” He was hoping this could be avoided. He heard the suspicion in her voice, the fear of his betrayal. The fear that he had known a piece of past and had kept it from her. His heart ached at the sound, but there was nothing he could do. He had his orders. So here goes nothing…“I’ve just discovered a mission report sent from C-53, there is only so much I’m cleared to tell you…”

He had rehearsed the scenario, this “story” so many times in the first months she was on Hala. He had expected that she would remember more in the beginning. But as time went by, there was less of a need. The story could be easily adapted to explain Mar-Vel's presence on the planet.

"Does it say anything about me?" She sounded forlorn, searching for answers he couldn't give her. Answers, if he was honest, he didn't want to give, at the risk of losing her.

"About you? Of course not, why would it?"

“I found evidence that I had a life here…" she sounded small and lost. He had to keep up the charade, keep her on track, even though it was killing him a little inside. 

"On C-53?"

"Mar-Vel is who I see when I visit the Supreme Intelligence, I knew her. I knew her as Lawson."

No, no! She was too close, he panicked, he couldn't lose her to the past, to the Terran, not after all this time. Maybe she didn't remember, maybe the Skrulls had messed with her memories and inserted just enough to send her looking for Mar-Vel? Maybe it wasn't even Vers?

"This sounds like Skrull simulation Vers -"

"No its not, because I remember I was here - " she snapped at him. She was upset, and being irrational, she couldn't possibly remember, not after all this time, he wouldn't lose her to this. He needed her to focus on her training, to not get emotional and spiral into helplessness.

"Stop! Remember your training, know your enemy, it could be you. Do not let your emotions override your judgement…  
Were nearing the jump point. Leave your beacon on so I can find you. Well get to the bottom of this Vers." He swallowed. "Together!" He meant it. He couldn't give her back the memories of a dead woman, all he could do was guide her to her brighter future, to a better version of herself. Together!

"...Okay". She did not sound convinced.

Then the line went dead.


	3. The Accuser

He had needed to rest. Between worry for Vers' safety and situation, and after the events on Torfa he was exhausted. He awoke a few hours later when he was hailed by Korath. There was in incoming high priority message. He had to take it personally.

When Ronan appeared on the screen, he knew things weren’t good. He was on thin ice as it was, having neither returned to Hala post mission, nor communed directly with the SI. Hearing from the Accuser would not make matters better.  
Ronan insulted his team as expected, had blamed the missions failure directly on Starforce. He disliked the Accusers, Ronan especially. Their methods were more brutal than tactical, but against the Skrull threat, they were the most successful method to stopping them. 

The sooner he could end this conversation the better. He relayed the facts as per his official report and would happily take any damage to his personal reputation as long he could get to Vers.

“Tell us the location, we’ll take care of the terrorist threat”

“By bombing them out of the galaxy? No, well handle this.” He felt his disdain for the Accuser grow. He would not risk Vers’ life. The Accuser had no concern for individual Kree. If they went after the Skrulls Vers would be as good as dead.

“Where are they?” Ronan demanded.

“They are…” Yon cut Korath off.

“…lost. They are lost, for now. But we will find them” he needed to protect Vers. Needed time to get her back. He would not let any Kree stand in his way, especially not Ronan.

“Do so or we will…” the treat lingered as the transmission ended, but Yon was not easily intimidated.

He stared down at Korath. He tried to not let his anger and frustration bubble over. Korath was doing his duty, protecting the Kree from the Skrulls. He should not fault him for this, but the thought he not only questioned Vers’ loyalty and strength, but would sell her out so easily to the Accusers angered him more than he wanted to admit.

“Maintain the course for C-53!”  
He could feel Korath questioning his choice with Ronan as he walked away. He would need to keep a closer eye on Korath in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Busy week ahead, may be a few days before I get to clean up and post more chapters


	4. The Shack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With each footfall that echoed along the pier towards the small structure in the distance, he felt himself drawing closer to a precipice, to a point of no return. What lay inside, what would happen next, would be a turning point in his life. Just like the first time he encountered her at that lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Was distracted with another idea which I needed to get out of system first.

As he trudged through the marsh land to the coordinates in her message, he was wary of his surroundings.   
Her message had read “Safe! Skrulls neutralised. Secure pick up location at 36.08X459.66Y7254G”

She was safe, he would collect her personally, he was concerned the others in the team would treat her as compromised. He needed to handle the situation properly, ensure there was no risk to her, no need to alert the Accusers or anger the Supremor, but most importantly he needed to see her with his own eyes, hold her with his own hands, and make sure she was safe. 

Once he had her safe, he wasn’t sure what he would do next, these last few days had been hell. He’d lost other soldiers before; it was never easy, and he had felt responsible for each loss. But none had impacted him like this, set him so on edge, made him feel the loss so keenly. And Vers wasn’t even lost, she was here, safe, alive. With each footfall that echoed along the pier towards the small structure in the distance, he felt himself drawing closer to a precipice, to a point of no return. What lay inside, what would happen next, would be a turning point in his life. Just like the first time he encountered her at that lake.

He would have Vers back, they would go home, but he could not deny that it wouldn't be the same. He had been shaken to the core, and he would never let her out of his sight again. She had been a constant presence in his life almost everyday for the last 6 years; subordinate, mentee, friend, team mate, sparring partner, and general pain in the ass. Each role leaving a mark on his life more than he realised. Her absence, and the near threat of its permanency, illuminated how integral she had become to him.

He reached the structure and glanced around briefly, checking to make sure their surroundings were clear. Then entered, closing the door quickly behind him. Every muscle in his body was wound tight. She was by the window, looking out, no doubt watching his approach. The sun filtered through and cast her hair and features in a soft glow. How he had missed that sight. He wanted to reach for her, but his training told him otherwise. Protocol required he ensured it was her. 

“What took you so long?” she quibbed.

He quietly studied her, barely containing the small smile on his face at seeing her. She seemed off, more stiff – but maybe he was being over cautious?

“I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"PRY 46B -"

"No codes, that system is fallible as we've learned." He'd expected more of a smart remark from her, considering his call back to her more recent teasing. Perhaps the situation, her concerns about Mar-Vel and her own role here had her worn her down more than he first thought. He hoped so.

"OK let's do this"

Who better to test her than someone who knew her almost as keenly as she knew herself? Who had been by her side almost every day for the past 6 years. He thought back to home, to their train ride merely a few days before, when they'd been joking around and teasing each other about communing with the SI.

"Who do I see when I commune with the Supreme Intelligence?"

He stalked forward, wanting to desperately close the gap between them. He needed to be closer to her. 

She shifted forward, matching him pace for pace.

"The person you most admire and respect I’d guess. But you would never tell me who."

Too easy, too recent. Whilst correct, her answer was lacking her normal attitude. His hand drifted to his weapon. He wanted to believe it was her, that the last few days were just as exhausting for her as they were for him. He needed something harder, more personal. He could choose any number of things from the last few years. The location of their gym. Her favourite breakfast bar from after training. Any number of jokes, pranks or incidents from missions he called her out on half-heartedly over their years together. He remembered every moment with absolute clarity, every lecture, every conversation, every smile, his and hers, every first she had as he introduced her to her life as a Kree. No, he needed something more personal, something so core to who Vers was...

"What is your earliest memory of Hala?"

"The transfusion, blue blood running through my veins."

He smiled - Good! But still...

"Whose blood?" The clincher, the one thing that no one else but them, Minn and the SI knew. The thing that bound them together and would do so for the rest of their lives. Irrefutable evidence of his loyalty to her, and her loyalty to the Kree.

She falters, tries to shake it off as unimportant or something which was easily forgotten with a dismissive shrug.

He fires. 

Fury and disgust coursing through him just like his blood courses through her. He looms over the pathetic copy of her at his feet.  
"Its my blood that's coursing through her veins!" He spits at the disgusting creature. "What have you done with her?"

"You're too late"

Too late? Anger boiled through his veins. It wasn't her, she'd been simmed. Some filthy Skrull had simmed her and tried to fool him! They still had her, had she let herself be caught again? Or was she unaware of the current situation? He had to find her and locate her. But how? Her message had come from her personal comm. Could she have been intercepted before getting the chance to meet him?   
A cold and terrifying realisation ripped through him. In order for the Skrull to have known her first memory of Hala but not the source of her blood meant It did not possess the actual memory. The two facts were entwined, It'd only been told part of the story, and the story would have only one source. 

"She knows?!"

She knows the truth, her past, his lies... He'd lost her. She remembered Mar-Vel and chose to align herself with their enemy. His rage overcame him. The Skrulls had stolen her from him, first from Torfa and now from his life. He drew his blaster and shot the Skrull again for good measure, as a second punishment for taking away what he held dear. Fear gripped his heart, she had been taken from him. He would make them pay! He would make them all pay. He would wipe every trace of the Terrans and her past from existence and then get her back to where she belonged.

He hailed Ronan. Yon knew the Accuser would bring no mercy to C-53, and at that moment he couldn't care less. Let the Accusers scorch the planet bare. 

He had failed his mission again due to this backward planet and he would not let it taunt him anymore.

He stormed out the shack back towards the Helion. He could avoid the inevitable no longer. He had to commune with Supremor and inform them of his failure. He scanned for Vers’ comm again. It was indeed in the shack with the dead Skrull, mounting evidence of her betrayal.

He would need the SI’s guidance on how to find her. How to stop the Skrulls getting to Mar-Vel’s core. He prayed the Supremor would be merciful and offer him a chance to correct his mistake. Vers was too important to the Kree to leave in the hands of the Skrulls, too powerful. He was certain he would be provided the necessary reinforcements to contain the situation. To get her back and undo whatever lies she had been told by the Skrulls. He would make her see sense, the Supremor would make her see sense.


	5. The SI

He cautiously approached the SI.

“You were blinded by her feelings for her” the simulation had barely even materialised as the Supremor spoke to him. Admonished him.

“I have no feelings for her!” In that moment he didn't, they had almost all burned away in the wake of her apparent treachery.

“Perhaps not... we both know your admiration is mostly reserved for yourself.” The SI turned, regarding Yon with an amused look. The same look he occasionally gave the young children trainees. Ironic considering the faces staring back at him.

“6 years ago we sent you to locate Mar-Vel and her energy core.”

“I found Mar-Vel” he stated for the record. He had found Mar-Vel and her experimental core, he and his team had tracked her down and prevented her from disappearing with her work.

“Wrong! You executed Mar-Vel - not part of the plan” The SI corrected him. “What of the core?”

Yon was taken aback, at the time the SI seemed more understanding of how the situation had evolved. Whilst disappointed in the loss of one of the Kree’s greatest scientists, It had congratulated him on handling the situation the best he could. Clearly that is not how they felt now. Yon was cautious of how he next answered the SI, he tried to choose his words carefully. He had a growing sense of trepidation, he feared the wrath of the Supremor, and where the conversation was leading. He was beginning to feel trapped. he tried hard to not let his voice reflect this.

“I believed that it had been destroyed by the blast - ”

“Wrong again!” the Supremor roared, It was no longer amused, but enraged. “Care to go for a third?”

Yon had served for the Empire fiercely for decades, and his mission with the core was the only in which he had failed - spectacularly too it seemed. He was not used to defending himself in such a way, he tried to cajole the SI, to remind them of what he had bought back for the glory of the Empire in the wake of the incident with Mar-Vel, of how he had returned with Vers.

“I returned to Hala with a far more powerful weapon…”

“One that has slipped from your grasp” The Supremor shooks Its head at him, Its displeasure palpable. “You are losing control!”

Everything he had done, he had done for the Supreme Intelligence and for the Empire! He poured everything, EVERYTHING, he had into his role as Commander. He lived for this, this was the whole meaning of his existence, and to see the one who gave him his purpose so utterly detached and disappointed, was too much! Without thinking, he reached for the Supremor, pleading with him like a boy would his parents.

"Please! Please your Intelligence..." Let me fix this, please don't kill me. 

His plea only made it worse. The SI regarded him with a look of disdain, which quickly moved to pure cruel amusement at his predicament. As if it enjoyed his pain.

"Please? Please?!” It taunted him ”Are you begging? For what? For your worthless life?"

He did, he would, he wasn't proud of it but the idea of him ending at the hand of the SI was too much. He was worthless, and he felt it in that moment, so small in the shadow of the Supremor. Who was he to beg a God for Mercy. He didn't deserve it, he had clearly failed 6 years ago, and now. There could be no undoing the damage. He knew failure of this magnitude resulted in immediate execution. Yon prided himself on his ability to survive in the face of danger. Honed his body to be the vessel of justice for the Kree, stronger than his opponents so he would not meet the Collective on mission. Yon-Rogg had never really thought about how he wanted to die. Preferably he didn't - but he knew he did not want it to be at the mercy of the Supreme Intelligence, to not have his glory and all he had achieved snuffed out so easily whilst in the simulation. He was stronger than that. He could not face the helplessness he felt at being trapped in this situation. Very few times Yon-Rogg had been scared in his life. This was by far the scariest.

He needed to think, think past his failures, past the situation at hand and to what could redeem him. How could he turn the SI's favour and allow him to leave?

Vers was the problem, if the SI wanted blood, perhaps it would want hers? 

"Allow me to kill her for you?" Could he though? If she was the sacrifice the SI demanded, could he go through with it for his God? But if it meant his survival? She was now the enemy, she had betrayed them. The looked appeased at his suggestion, it reached out Its hand and stroked Yon’s face. He leaned into the touch, seeking Its forgiveness. 

“Her implant will lead you to her, and we will disable her powers.” It leant in, towering over him in Its larger than life stature. “Bring us the core and the girl” The SI grasped his chin, painfully.. It had his full attention, he partly worried the SI might crush his head ”Alive, Yon-Rogg!”

Yon closed his eyes and sighed in relief. He was weary of the request. If he bought her back, would that be enough? Would he be redeemed? Or would it be his last act before he met his own end?

As the wires retracted his eyes focused on the room around him. He was back on the pad on the Hellion. He practically leapt off the pad and out of reach of the SI, in case It changed Its mind. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. Her inhibitor would lead them to her, he would use it to find her and the Skrulls. 

He calmed himself, and then initiated the request for Starforce backup. He would need another team in order to ensure all tasks could be achieved. This would not result in failure. He would make sure numbers were in his favour. If the Skrulls were outnumbered they could be handled. He needed his whole team to concentrate on Vers. He moved through the Helion to the con.

"Korath! Initiate a trace on Vers."

"But how?"

Yon brought up her implant controls on his gauntlet. He quickly flicked through the details and sure enough, hidden in the system diagnostic output was a tracking component code. He wondered how he never noticed it before. 

"Subspace signal in her inhibitor" he entered the code on the con and the beacon lit up. She was in orbit.

Mar-Vel's cruiser. Of course!

"There's a jump point opening sir!"

"Good, our reinforcements have arrived"

They would storm the cruiser, secure Mar-Vel's lab and the core, and he would bring Vers to the SI. He would be redeemed in the eyes of the SI, she would have her memories wiped, and they would return Hala and continue as before. He would wipe out the remaining Skrull threat, with General Talos dead the Skrulls would have very few of their leadership remaining. This would be one of the greatest blows to the terrorist threat in recent years. A step closer to ending their tyranny across the galaxy, everything he had worked for coming to a close. 

If Ronan completed his task correctly, the Terrans would also be gone. No more safe harbour for the Skrulls, and no more reminders of the traitor or Vers' past. He could focus on the future, their future, as if this situation had never even happened.


	6. The Cruiser

They had made it onto the ship without being noticed. Vers was sloppy, she should have known he would not be far behind. He had trained her better than that, or did she leave the hanger unguarded on purpose? Was she just being Vers, headstrong and not thinking, rushing in, or was she truly not compromised and this was her way to ask for his help? A sign?

They secured the hanger and each level they passed through. Yon knew Mar-Vel's lab would be deep in the heart of the cruiser. He sent the supporting teams to continue to secure the ship, whilst he and his own team made their way towards Vers. As he approached the room where her beacon was located he could hear voices. A small orange animal lurked outside the door. It mewled at their approach disapprovingly. He scooped it up by the scruff of its neck and carried it inside.

He'd hoped to find Vers as a hostage, that he had not lost her, that there was another explanation for all this.

“Fraternizing with the enemy” he scolded her, he was mad, mad at her, mad at the situation, but he waited for her to reply with a quip, some joke which signaled he hadn't hoped in vain. He continued to the centre of the room, watching her. She was furious, her breathing became ragged as she tried to control herself. Frankly a first. His insides churned, could it be now that she would finally listen to his advice and not let her emotions drive her? Ironic.

He unceremoniously deposited the orange creature before her.

He looked her up and down, her Starforce uniform had been altered. A garish hue of red and blue, hardly subtle, there was no doubt her loyalties had changed, he had lost her. He felt ill at the sight of her, he should have been relieved that he had finally found her safe and within reach, but instead he was disgusted and deeply betrayed.

“What did you do to your uniform?" It was a disgrace, the final insult to all they had achieved together. His heart ached at seeing her.

  
  


"They got into her head, just like we thought" 

"The supreme intelligence will set her straight"

His team secured the room, whilst all he could do was focus on her, only half aware of his team securing the room.

Talos tried to bargain for the lives of his people, admiral but it wouldn't work, no Skrulls would leave here alive. They would all need to be dealt with. 

“And the core?” he enquired - surely something could be salvaged from this, if not Vers’ loyalty.

“You lied to me” her anger was palpable.

“I made you the best version of yourself” he hoped his voice didn't betray the emotions he felt.

She tried to use her powers, he knew she would, ever predictable. She relied too much on them, despite all his training to make her stronger, better, to rely on herself and not her powers in a situation, she still let them control her.

“What is given can be taken he away” he smiled at her foolish hubris, did she really think he would let her use her powers?

She ran for him, swung wildly, a cheap shot, he had taught her better, but she never could best him. He avoided her easily and with a quick left hook, she was down.

He activated his gauntlet, he knew her temper would run freely and she wouldn't stay down willingly. It was the only way to restrain her safely. He had no wish to harm her.

His team continued to secure the room, he checked on Att-Lass, he opened a metal box, and the contents glowed brightly. They had found the core, finally, 6 years and he finally could complete his mission. The SI would be satisfied, his honour intact. They could return home, he and Vers could start again. With the core in their possession there would be less pressure on ensuring she was secure, other weapons could be made, she could be free.

The Skrullls would be done for, the most powerful power source in the galaxy at the SI's disposal. He would continue her training, make her exceptional, like he always planned. He looked back at her, the look in her eyes was hate, hate for him, mixed with fear. He had no desire to hurt her. He never could, not truely. Why couldn't she see the truth, how much she meant to him. Why had she aligned herself with these terrorists? Why couldn't she see he was helping her, he had only wanted the best for her? That best was never on this blue ball, but with him, together, on Hala. Korath was right, the SI would set her straight.

He grabbed for her, his need to put his thoughts into action. He'd been itching to touch her, hold her since the shack. His fingers ran into her golden hair. He glanced at her neck to ensure the guantlet's power had not damaged the inhibitor. But touching her had been a mistake, the warmth of her skin, leached through his glove, and all of his feelings from the last few days flooded into him. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, make everything alright, bring her home to him and make her see sense. He held her cheek, eyes boring into her trying his hardest to convey everything he felt in that moment, beg her to understand and return to them. He needed to get her to the Supreme Intelligence, he needed to fix her and remove this obstacle like it never happened.

He increased the pressure of gravity field on her throat, just enough to cause her to pass out.


	7. The Beginning of the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double post to make up for keeping you waiting.

As the coils of the Supreme Intelligence wrapped its way around her, she struggled - even unconscious she was fighting, always fighting.

He waited over her watching in concern; for her, and for what was happening in the simulation. Was this enough? Would the Intelligence regain her loyalty and bring her back? Would he be forgiven, or would the Intelligence kill her instead?

He stood patiently, for what felt like an eternity. Both of their futures hanging in the balance. He didn't wish to be eager, he tried stamped down the hope and daydreams of what would come next. Would she have any memories when she woke? Would the last few days just be gone, or would she be a clean slate? He hoped the Intelligence would only remove her recent memories, he didn’t want to have to start again. To act as if the last 6 years hadn’t happened. Or maybe that could work out better, more to his advantage. Tie her more tightly to him through a loss of shared moments, what had cast her adrift was her lack of past, her lack of belonging. He and the team could shed light on her more recent past, perhaps that was enough to build a stronger connection this time? Until she was released, until the Supremor was finished with her he could not truly determine his next steps.

Her hands lit up, the electronics of the ship surged, power fluctuation all over. He noticed the disk on her neck struggled to contain her powers. It was active and overworking. 

“She’s trying to break out” It was impossible, there was no escape from the Supreme Intelligence, not when she was wound so tightly in its tendrils. The inhibitor controlled her powers, kept them in check and under control. What he was witnessing was impossible, her powers could not truly be that strong, she was barely able to control them without his guidance and help.

Suddenly she raised up, and broke free slightly, tendrils ripping away by force as the power continued to surge. Flickering in the hallway behind, indicating the power failure was not located directly to the chamber. The tendrils of the SI retracting, partially by force, others seemingly on purpose, as she floated above the pad. She was suspended in the air, hovering above the ground.

This was impossible! Yon was unsure what to do, to subdue her whilst she still remained connected to the Intelligence could result in irreparable damage to her synapses. Yet clearly the SI was struggling to control her. Unless this was part of her transformation back?

The inhibitor on her neck flared and then short circuited. Vers become bathed in a golden light, the power of sun engulfing her. She looked like a vengeful angel from the lore of his childhood. He raised his hand to shield his eyes, the sudden flare blinding him briefly.

She returned to the ground, and when she opened her eyes all he could see was her raw flaming power within them. She was glorious, and he was afraid. Her power was truly magnificent. She was magnificent. It dawned on him then, how wrong they were to have held such power back, that in reality they never truly could have. Her powers were unstoppable, she was unstoppable, and he had been a fool to think he or any Kree could have bent her to their will.

Her fists lit up and sent him colliding into the bulkhead, the combination of the plasma blast and the impact winding him. He watched her grab the core, and run from the room. He rolled to catch her, but the temporary pain he was in was too much. He watcher leave, unable to follow, it seemed her feet barely touched the ground.

She had the core, and he needed to retrieve it. There would be no swaying her, she was now the enemy of the Kree. He knew the safety of her friends would be paramount to her, so she would either go after them, or draw him and his team away from them.

He comm'ed the others, perhaps if faced with her friends and teammates they could get better of her. Work on her emotions and weakness.

Either way it was time to end this!


	8. The Final Showdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and so it ends....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long. As much as I enjoy the movie, watching the same scenes over and over to get all the details eventually turned a little painful.

They needed to get the core. The core was paramount. In the Skrulls’ hands they would be unstoppable, he needed to return with it to Hala. Something of this mission needed to be salvaged.

As he stumbled through the ship, with Korath in tow, to rendezvous with the others he tried to make a plan. What he had witnessed should not have been possible, but Vers powers had been stronger than he had imagined. She had completely destroyed the SI's communications pad. It was a scorched mess. She had defied the Intelligence, as impressive as it was to witness, in her actions she had defiled the most sacred part of their culture. Despite his most recent encounter with the Intelligence, he was still loyal. He knew It knew what was best for his people, and Vers had all but spat on that.

Even if through some small miracle he managed to convince her to return with him to Hala, he knew the Supremor would punish her for what she had done. It did not take treachery lightly, nor would It forgive the insult of her defiance. If she returned, It would likely execute. In the interim, she would be declared an enemy of the Kree, of that he had no doubt.

The Accusers would be here soon, if they could get the core, and either contain or destroy the remaining Skrulls, he could leave Vers to Ronan. 

He foolishly hoped he could sway her, but he needed to prioritise the mission. If he couldn't subdue her again, Ronan would handle her one way or another. A chill ran through him at the idea, but at least he would not have to witness it. After what he had just seen he honestly wasn't sure if even the Accuser could handle her. However, she had never had full access to her powers before, and he was betting on the chance she wouldn’t know how to fully use them.

"I’ve located her, she’s in the engine room." Minn-Erva’s voice ran through the comm.

“Split up - Korath, Minn-erva close in on her from above with Bronn. Att-Lass you’re with me. Wait for our approach.” his orders were issued, they would follow them impeccably. As if by pure muscle memory he went comm Vers to remind her to behave, to wait or his signal and not act rashly before he got there, he had to stop himself. Would he ever get used to this? He pushed down his feelings, this wasn’t the time.

They approached the engine room and he gave the signal to engage. She was sitting on the railing of the overhanging walkway. Feet dangling as if she were a small child, waiting impatiently for her parents. There was a bitter sweet irony in the image, she was no child, no matter how often she acted it. 

“Oh hey guys, arm wrestle for the tesseract.” her blazé attitude had not disappeared with recent events. He should have known that her wit would be the first thing she’d hide behind. She always had, cracking jokes or laughing even when it wasn't appropriate. He found it endearing before, now.. “I used to find you amusing. Let’s put an end to this!”

With a single blow Vers decimated the walkway. He jumped away in an attempt to get clear. The debris from the walkway crashed down on top of him. The crushing weight pinned him down. He tried to move, but found he could barely shift his limbs to get purchase on the ground. He couldn't use his strength to shift the mass of metal on top of him. He would need his gauntlets. He could hear the fight continuing around him. The sounds of his team mixed with the unmistakable noise of photon bursts. His arm was stuck and he couldn't activate the gauntlets. Normally they were motion activated, but there was an override activation button on his console. If he could only shift his arm he could reach it. 

He tried to pull his left arm free of the twisted wreckage of the walkway, but his armour snagged an edge and he was stuck, if he pulled his arm further towards him, he could potentially shift more of the wreckage onto him, truly crushing him. So instead he pushed forward, attempting to slither towards his left arm, so he could activate the button. His right wrist was also trapped, which meant he could only use his nose to press the switch to activate his anti-gravity field. 

With a beep, his gauntlets engaged, and he was slowly surrounded by the green light of his anti-grav field, the weight of the debris lifted from his form and he was able to engage his second gauntlet. He stood, lifting the wreckage off him and freeing him to rejoin the fight. 

She was standing directly in front of him, he moved the field to capture her too, lifting her from the ground. He launched himself and sent her flying into the energy regulator in the centre of the room. 

He could finally take stock of what he had heard. None of his team members had managed to subdue her, in fact it looked as if she had made a meal of them without even breaking a sweat. If it wasn’t for the fact it was his team whom she was fighting, he’d be proud of her. She had handled herself admirably, even if she was relying solely on her powers. He stamped the feelings down, he couldn’t let himself get distracted, not by her. The Supremor wanted the Tesseract and he had to be the one to deliver it. His knew his life depended on it.

He launched the remaining debris at her, hoping to knock her off guard or just clean unconscious. She deflected each item away as if they were nothing, blasting the larger sections. He changed tact and pinned her to the bulkhead with a collection of the remains she had scattered. Holding her in place, he approached. He instinctively went for his blade. He intended to use it to pry open the box and extract the Tesseract. If it were any other enemy combatant, he would have simply used it on them; remove their hand, or slit their throats. He doubted he could do that to her, yet he hoped the action was enough to make her second guess him and scare her into making a mistake.

Scare her he did. She seemed to panic at the sight of the blade and once again activate her powers to blast away from the bulkhead, sending the metal flying across the space. The heat from her hand, had caused the handle of the container to separate from the main section. The box fell open and revealed her deception. He was both proud of her and annoyed at himself. He could barely repress the smile on his face. “Nice distraction!” he had taught her well. It made the insult of the action cut twice as deep. He could have kissed her then, under different circumstances.

“I could have sworn I put in there.” Her glib attitude confirmed his suspicion, she was merely killing time and allowing the Skrulls to leave with the Tesseract. After one final assault to distract her, he fled. He needed to head them off, both the Skrulls and the two Terrans should have been in the process of being disposed of. However, he doubted his fortune would have been so good, so he headed straight to the docking bay. He knew Vers, she would have freed them whilst he was recovering from her escape from the SI. That’s why she had remained behind as a distraction.

He ran as fast and as hard as he could. “The hanger now!” He shouted at a few additional soldiers he passed. He drew his blaster, and as he rounded the corner he saw the Terran vessel was still there - its hold closing in preparation for departure. He shot at the Skrull he saw crouched near the retracting doors. He had wounded it, although doubted it was a lethal shot. He continued to blast at the ship, the terran ship was not as advanced as their own. He doubted it would have sufficient shielding to withstand a barrage of blaster fire. If they could hit an essential system, they could perhaps disable the vessel before it ventured far. The Helion was larger and still blocked the Terran vessel’s path. Damnit! Their blind shots were not causing any significant damage. 

The Terran vessel opened fire on the Helion. He had miscalculated the potency of their weaponry. Their primitive projectile based weapons ripped through the hull of his ship, the subsequent explosion causing the shielding protecting the bay to fail. He turned, retreating behind the blast doors before he could be caught in the fireball that was about to consume the bay before sucking all its contents into the vacuum of space.

Oh how he hated the Terrans. Against the odds they were getting away with his enemy and the Tesseract. Where he had failed, he knew Minn would succeed.

“Minn-erva, take them down in the drop ship.”

“On it!”

He stood and made his own way to the ships. He would pursue as well and assist Minn-erva in gaining their prize. As it stood the drop ships were now the only remaining way off the vessel. One ship remained thankfully. He jumped in and initiated the activation sequence.

He looked up at the sound of something thumping against the hull. Vers was crouched on top, she was attempting to stop him. She was too late and didn’t realise it. He smiled at her, as he activated the drop door, he enjoyed the look of surprise on her face as the both plumented downwards.

He saw her roll across the top of the ship as he took off. Her suit would protect her, she could float in dead space in the orbit of the ship long enough for him to return for her. Perhaps the alone time combined with being at the mercy of space would be sufficient enough for her to cool off, and he could try again to reason with her? He focused on the tracking the signal of Minn’s pod, and piloting through the atmosphere. Drop ships were not the smoothest of vessels to pilot through an atmo breach.

Another sound to his left drew his attention, it was Vers again, determined to break in, if she did so she would kill them both. He needed to stop her, or dislodge her. He activate is gauntlet on the lowest setting, just enough to make her slip. But instead she lost her grip on the craft completely. He watched her slip free and a moment of panic went through him. Had he just killed her? He had only meant to dislodge her. They were already breaching the upper layers of the planet’s atmosphere, she wouldn’t escape the pull of gravity, and their entry velocity was not fast enough to sufficiently blast her back into space. If her powers could suspend her above the ground in the chamber, surely they could help her survive the fall? Even from this height, the chance of survival of a Kree was not unreasonable, granted it would be nearly impossible, but when it came to her, impossible did not seem to be a concept that applied.

He focused instead on Minn’s location, she appeared to be in pursuit of the Terran vessel. From the topography of the surrounding area, she seemed to have been drawn into a revene. Foolish considering the terrain was unknown to her. He closed in, perhaps they could converge on the Terran vessel and destroy it that way. If the Tesseract was indeed onboard, it would easily survive the blast. In fact, Yon thought with a little glee, it would likely increase the resulting blast exponentially, ensuring none of the occupants survived. He and Minn-erva just needed to ensure they were not in the blast radius as well.

He closed in on the two signals when the one belonging to the other drop ship went dead. Minn-erva was gone, her ship destroyed by the Terrans due to the advantage of knowing the terrain in which they flew. Anger and grief bubbled inside of him. Was he to lose everything today? He closed in and spotted them as they ascended. He fired, clipping the wing. He continued his pursuit. The pilot was admittedly skilled considering the way they were handling the damaged vessel and still avoiding his rapid fire. 

He was so focused on the ship in front of him, he didn't even notice the oncoming projectile until something impacted with his ship. He tried to get a better look, it couldn't have been Vers, could it? Had she just punched his ship?

The craft was too damaged to steer properly, all he could do was hope for a survivable crash landing. He attempted his best to pull up from the nose dive he was caught in. He managed to impact the ground at a suitable angle, skidding across the desert until he came to a stop. The impact hurt, more than he cared to admit. He was still nursing injuries from earlier, and the crash clearly reminded him of their existence.

He assessed himself quickly, nothing broken, he could still walk and was not trapped in the ship. He opened the hatch, the engines still running. He climbed out, and looked around, expecting her to appear again and either shoot him or punch him.

The faint pops of more objects entering the atmosphere sounded overhead. The Accusers must have arrived, finally. Typical of Ronan to arrive on his own time and after he was needed. He watched as what could only be her, flare into brightness and obliterate the ballistic warheads heading for the surface. One person could not manage such a feat. He watched amazed as she continued to speed into the atmosphere, aiming directly for the ships that were no doubt in orbit. It may have been daylight on the planet’s surface, but the unmistakable explosion of a ship could be seen. A second explosion lit up the sky. He was in awe of what he saw, he was past declaring what she could do as impossible. She had fought the SI and won, fought his team and won, she was now fighting the Accusers - arguably their best, and she was winning. She flew when he had given her no choice. Was there no limit to what she could do? He had tried to train her to be the best she could be, to not rely on her powers, to not have them define her. He had never imagined this would be the result, that her powers and strength could be so vast. 

He wondered if she had destroyed Ronan? He knew that with each flash of light, a fellow Kree was losing their life. Yet he couldn't help but want to have witnessed the look on Ronan’s face, to see what she could do first hand, instead of being a spectator on this infernal planet’s surface. The explosions stopped, so Ronan must be gone or retreated - Yon doubted Ronan would have only bought two ships. Either way, Vers was done with them, he knew he would be next. 

He waited for her, it was all he could do. The Tesseract was gone, and a good friend along with it. He wondered if Vers would hand him over to Talos and the Skrulls for punishment, or would she kill him herself? She hadn’t severely injured their teammates in the fight, at least not intentionally. So there was still the possibility that she would spare him. Yet would that be wise, for either of them? He wouldn’t go down without a fight, but could he really stop her?

He watched as the shooting star which was Vers streak across the sky towards him. As she landed, she overloaded what must have been Terran powerlines far in the distance. A testament to her raw power. She landed a while away from him, a good tactical option, allowing her to assess both terrain and her enemy. He felt pride swell as he watched her approach. Even now she was a credit to her training. He drew his blaster and activated a gauntlet. This was it. He had waited 6 years for this, for her crowning moment, some part of him had always suspected it would come in the form of her retribution for what he’d done.

They approached each other slowly, cautiously, a final stand off. Teacher and student, mentor and mentee, friends to foes. So many bitter sweet emotions coursed through him. His training ever present, causing him to asses the situation in front of him, assess her as the enemy she now was, and how he could best turn the situation to his advantage. After what he had just witnessed he knew that a blaster shot from him would barely even leave a scratch on her, where as he could be turned to dust with a single powerful shot from her lit hand. Even still, with all the rage and betrayal he felt, all the loss she had caused him, both in fellow Kree and what could have been their future, he still doubted he could really kill her. He knew he had promised the SI he would, even if they had asked for her return unharmed. Perhaps he could reason with her or better yet, use her weaknesses against her. If he could simply overpower her, he would have a chance of surviving. He knew she was a lost cause, but there was still the Tesseract.

He adjusted his grip on his blaster, contemplating what to do next. She stood there ready and defiant for whatever he would throw at her. Such a loss, they would never be friends or allies again. His hopes for her future, their future had turned to dust, completely irretrievable and he mourned that loss. But maybe all hope wasn’t lost? She’d still yet to fire after all.

He made his decision. He closed the gauntlet and holstered his weapon. “Im so proud of you!”   
Vers looked surprised, yet skeptical - smart girl. She had not expected this from him, he hadn't quite expected it either, yet it was the truth. He hoped this would work.

“You’ve come a long way since I found you that day by the lake. But can you keep your emotions in check long enough to take me on? Or will they get the better of you as always? I always told you you'll be ready the day you can knock me down as yourself.” He hoped to appeal to the woman he trained, the woman who constantly sought his approval, his guidance, who pushed herself for more each time, partially out of spite, but mostly out of the need to rise to any challenge. He crouched down, shifting into a sparring position, waiting for her to do the same. “This is that moment, this is that moment Vers! Turn off the light show and prove, prove to me that you can beat me without-”

A blast stronger than he had ever experienced from her before, hit him square in the chest. He felt himself fly backwards for yards before impacting with something excruciatingly hard. He collapsed on the ground. His suit had taken most of the impact from his sudden halt and her blast. He was dazed and in pain, he tried to breathe through it. He attempted to sit up, to move before she got to him. He caught her shadow as she approached. He scrambled to stand or to at least get away. He would not die on his back and he knew she was there to finish him off. He watched as she stood over him, she blocked out the sun which beat down on the hot ground. She glowed, backlit by the sun, he struggled to see her face. He expected her murderous anger from before, but that’s not what he saw. He waited for her next move. He was at her mercy, incapcitated and unable to get away.

“I have nothing to prove to you.” her words were calm and certain. Her voice held a confidence he had not seen in her, not even on that eventful day by the lake when she stared him down and shot the drive with the expectation she would be ending her own life. There was no malice, nor anger in her voice. He supposed the statement was true; she really did have nothing to prove to him. However, it also meant the Vers he knew, the woman he hoped she still was, was gone. Vers would want to prove herself right no matter what. This woman, this fierce fireball, what did she need to prove to a creature like him? He realised that this was it, it was all over, he had lost and this was his end.

We watched perplexed as she extended her hand to him. They couldn't be allies, but perhaps their past wasn't completely lost on her. Or she simply wanted to help him up so she could shoot him again. He looked at the extended hand, then up at her face, he would not do the same in her position, she really was the better person. He reached up and took her proffered hand. In classic Vers style, neither sentimentality nor death awaited him; instead she unceremoniously yanked him forward. He groaned, his injuries and fatigue being exacerbated with her dragging him along the ground through the desert.

She easily hauled him into the broken drop ship as if he weighed nothing. He was exhausted, and too sore to fight her. He was broken, she had won. He watched as she entered coordinates into the ship - Hala. No! He couldn’t go back, he had failed utterly and only punishment waited there for him back home. “I can’t go back empty handed.” He had to return with at least one of his two requirements, or not return at all.

“You won’t be empty handed, I’m sending you with a message.” he was barely listening, too engrossed in his own situation, of imagining what the Supremor would do to him on his return. “Tell the Supreme Intelligence I’m coming to end it.” This got his attention, he looked up at her, shocked at her audacity and not comprehending what he was hearing “The war. The lies. All of it.”

He believed her, he knew she would come and rain her wrath down on them. How many innocent Kree would suffer in the crossfire? He would not get the opportunity to bear witness to it.

He tried to plead with her, partially to stop her for following through with her intent for the Empire, and partially in the hopes she would not send him back. It would be better if she just ended things for him here, like he thought she might. “You can’t do this.” she was signing his death warrant.

She initiated the engine. Where had he gone so wrong? Why had this all failed so spectacularly? As the cabin closed, he looked at her. He wanted to stop her, talk to her, ask to reconsider. Tell her so many things. He would not live long after his return. Her message, once delivered would result in his execution, regardless of his other failings. He had missed his moment. The pod was sound proof, he was too late. All he could do was watch her, look at her one final time, hope she would change her mind but knowing she wouldn’t. His Vers was always stubborn. 

He tried to burn the image of her into his mind - one last indulgence. She blasted the ship, boosting the energy and he took off. The ride was bumpy, the steering was gone, the autopilot expected to take over and the ship too damaged to stablise with the turbulence. He hoped he might not make it back, it would be a less cruel fate to crash, but he doubted it would happen; things on this planet never worked out in his favour. As he exited the atmosphere of C-53 and watched as the jump point materialise, he thought of her, he regretted what had happened. He regretted that it had led him here, but he couldn't regret meeting and saving her.

-Fin-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so were done. Thanks for reading, I hope you weren't too bored.


End file.
